Sinclair Broadcasting is said to be near a deal to buy Tribune Media . Several reports over the weekend say a buyout could be announced this week at $45 a share. Sinclair and Tribune both own local TV stations all over the country.
Newslook

Cincinnati City Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld says he'll no longer watch Channel 12 in the wake of a controversial video that shows Channel 12 anchors - and anchors across the country - reading an identical script from parent company Sinclair Broadcast Group.

"Creepy, cult-ish, and way too propagandistic for my taste," the Democrat tweeted over the weekend. "As I've said before, I love many of the individual people at Channel 12 - but the direction of their ownership, @WeAreSinclair, is deeply troubling, and will prevent my propping up their revenue stream by being a viewer."

Creepy, cult-ish, and way too propagandistic for my taste. As I've said before, I love many of the individual people at Channel 12 - but the direction of their ownership, @WeAreSinclair, is deeply troubling, and will prevent my propping up their revenue stream by being a viewer. https://t.co/GIyyYvKDLo

If you've been anywhere near social media recently, you probably saw the video of Sinclair Broadcast Group anchors at local TV stations reading the same prepared speech about "false news."

Sinclair is the nation's largest broadcaster, owning or operating 193 stations - including Cincinnati's WKRC Local 12. The spliced-together video featured Local 12 anchors Rob Braun and Cammie Dierking.

Although it is the country’s largest broadcaster, Sinclair is not a household name and viewers may be unaware of who owns their local news station. Critics have accused the company of using its stations to advance a mostly right-leaning agenda. ...

Sinclair regularly sends video segments to the stations it owns. These are referred to as “must-runs,” and they can include content like terrorism news updates, commentators speaking in support of President Trump ...

Some members of the Greater Cincinnati Politics Facebook Group urged a boycott of Sinclair.

President Trump himself tweeted about the controversy Monday, defending Sinclair.

So funny to watch Fake News Networks, among the most dishonest groups of people I have ever dealt with, criticize Sinclair Broadcasting for being biased. Sinclair is far superior to CNN and even more Fake NBC, which is a total joke.